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From: owner-hist_text-digest@lists.xmission.com (hist_text-digest) To: hist_text-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: hist_text-digest V1 #19 Reply-To: hist_text Sender: owner-hist_text-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-hist_text-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk hist_text-digest Friday, February 13 1998 Volume 01 : Number 019 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 18:16:17 -0600 From: John Kramer <kramer@kramerize.com> Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Snowshoes At 09:58 PM 2/11/98 , tigrbo1 wrote: >Todd and Debbi Wraga wrote: >> >> I came across this email and am wondering if you might be able to help >> me out. A friend of mines daughter wants to make a pair of snowshoes, >> however we are having a difficult time finding any patterns or >> instructions. I was wondering if you might be able to forward on any >> information. >> >> 802-362-0967 Fax >> Debbi Wraga >> RR 1 Box 2129 >> Pawlet, VT 05761 > Todd & Debbi, The best instruction I've found for proper manufacture of snowshoes; the old way; is in "The Boy Mechanic", Book 2 of 4, "1000 Things For Boys To Do", pgs. 35 to 40 & 43 to 46. Copyright 1915 by H.H. Windsor, Popular Mechanics Press, Chicago. Many interesting comments are included one warns: "No Indian maker would be guilty of using screws of other metal fastenings, but many of the cheap and poorly fashioned snowshoes are fastened at the heel with screws, thus making this a decidedly weak point, since the wood is quite certain to split after a little rough service." It suggests well seasoned ash as the preferred wood for frames with tightly mortised and tenoned joints. It discusses using fine mesh shoes on powder and open mesh on wet snow. Large shoes for cross country (like Alaskan pattern), Style like Michigan pattern for all around use, Bearpaws for woods travel, best on packed snow. It warns about too much lift (turn-up) at the toe, and discusses narrow vs. wide toes. Full instruction for cutting, bending and weaving are included. It also suggests that though Varnish makes the shoes a little more waterproof; the additional slipping hazard on rocks and logs; makes it less than an ideal treatment. It repeatedly refers to Indian made snowshoes as superior to those made in factories. It offers instruction for both the early single knotted thong foot attachment as well as for a leather binding. It notes snowshoes should not be used with heavy leather boots as they will wear out and chafe the filling. It recommends high-cut moccasins large enough to accommodate one or two pairs of wool socks. I have encountered several copies over the years at used book dealers. Book 2 is the best of the series and the most common I've encountered. I used to have a spare copy, may have traded it off, I'll look through my piles. Don't hold your breath. John... Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without. John Kramer kramer@kramerize.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 18:39:34 -0600 From: John Kramer <kramer@kramerize.com> Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Early Games <html> To the List: The following is a request I received through participation in the on-line version of the game Oregon Trail II for school classrooms around the country. The question comes from one of the classes participating. I have requested additional details such as: what primary source? John... begin quote... ____________________________________________________________________________= ___ Subject: Games From:=A0=A0=A0 <poseidon@warwick.net> at Internet Date:=A0=A0=A0 2/10/98=A0 5:08 PM Another Wagon from our building asked this question in the discussion area, but no one has responded. Do you have any ideas where we could find out, if you don't know already? =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 Title: A game known as dare ball Message: We read in a primary source journal of a game played by the children known as dare ball? Does anyone know how the game was played? Thank You! __________________________________________ _________________________________ end quote... Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without. john kramer@kramerize.com </html> ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 19:10:25 -0800 From: "JON P TOWNS" <AMM944@prodigy.net> Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Re: Tipi This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - ------=_NextPart_000_01BD37E9.DF8B5500 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Darlene you asked about time frame of the pyramid type tent or miners tent 1848 is as early as I can get it. The voyager's tent put out by Panther Primitive. 1985or6 found that out from an old Blackpowder report add. I wrote an article on primitive tents . I'll look it up and scan it and send it out e-mail. Later Jon T - ---------- : From: darlene <darlene@sssnet.com> : To: hist_text@lists.xmission.com : Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Re: Tipi : Date: Wednesday, February 11, 1998 7:32 PM : : maybe you can do all this with a pryamid type type tent,but i do not know : of any documentation that this is period correct.i do not thinkthey are & : besides i think they look like crap ( only my opinion) my family has been : doing the rendezvouing for the past 15 years & as of this day no one has : been able to document these lodges to my knoledge. : : this is the first time i have responded to anything on this site & if i : step on any toes shoot me at a vou.we have had several different types of : lodges from a 10x10 lean to to now a 15x21 marque which is now just my wife : & i. : : if ya ever get to the eastern locate a brother of ivory mountain & ask : where shootshimself is camped & then come look me up,& i might offer ya a : cold 1. : : shootshimselfAt 06:59 PM 2/9/98 PST, you wrote: : >Before you buy a tipi look at a medium sized tallboy pryamid tent. You : >can put it up with one pole in the center, two poles outside set up as : >shears or with no poles at all by tying it to a convenient overhanging : >limb. Plus you can actually transport one in a small car. You might stuff : >a tipi cover, liner and ozan into a small car but I want to see where you : >carry a couple of dozen poles. Good luck, one way or the other. : > : >Lanney Ratcliff : >rat@htcomp.net : >------- : - ------=_NextPart_000_01BD37E9.DF8B5500 Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html><head></head><BODY bgcolor=3D"#FFFFFF">Darlene you asked about time frame of = the pyramid type tent or miners tent 1848 is as early as I can get = it. The voyager's tent put out by Panther Primitive. 1985or6 = found that out from an old Blackpowder report add. I wrote an = article on primitive tents . I'll look it up and scan it and send = it out e-mail. Later Jon T ---------- : From: = darlene <darlene@sssnet.com> : To: hist_text@lists.xmission.com : Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Re: Tipi : Date: = Wednesday, February 11, 1998 7:32 PM : : maybe you can do all = this with a pryamid type type tent,but i do not know : of any = documentation that this is period correct.i do not thinkthey are = & : besides i think they look like crap ( only my opinion) my = family has been : doing the rendezvouing for the past 15 years & = as of this day no one has : been able to document these lodges to my = knoledge. : : this is the first time i have responded to anything = on this site & if i : step on any toes shoot me at a vou.we have = had several different types of : lodges from a 10x10 lean to to now a = 15x21 marque which is now just my wife : & i. : : if ya = ever get to the eastern locate a brother of ivory mountain & = ask : where shootshimself is camped & then come look me up,& = i might offer ya a : cold 1. : : = &= nbsp; &n= bsp; shootshimselfAt 06:59 PM 2/9/98 PST, you wrote: : = >Before you buy a tipi look at a medium sized tallboy pryamid tent. = You : >can put it up with one pole in the center, two = poles outside set up as : >shears or with no poles at all by tying = it to a convenient overhanging : >limb. Plus you can = actually transport one in a small car. You might stuff : >a = tipi cover, liner and ozan into a small car but I want to see where = you : >carry a couple of dozen poles. Good luck, one way or = the other. : > : >Lanney Ratcliff : >rat@htcomp.net : = >------- : </body></html> - ------=_NextPart_000_01BD37E9.DF8B5500-- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 22:10:09 -0700 From: "David Tippets" <wolverine76@email.msn.com> Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Snowshoes The information John has shared supports what is available in some still-in-print books that may be easier to get your hands on. The absolute Cadillac of snowshoe making books, is Henri Vaillancourt's, Making the Attikamek Showshoe. The easiest way to get the book is to order it from The Trust for Native American Cultures and Crafts, Box 142, Greenville, NH 03048. The Trust will also sell you ($200) or rent($40) you a video on making the beavertail snowshoe. The book gives detailed instructions with photographs on how to make traditional Indian winter moccassins and duffle socks. Henri is about as hard core as a person can be doing things 100 percent tradition -- see John McPhee's, Survival of the Birchbark Canoe, which captures Henri's dedication to traditional arts and crafts. The VW of books is Building Snowshoes, by Gil Gilpatrick. You can buy it online from the Boundary Waters Company, in Ely, Minnesota. If you really want to understand the philosophy of different patterns, E. Kreps, Camp and Trail Methods(copyright 1910), still available through Fur, Fish, and Game Magazine is a must read. This book also covers winter mocs and blanket socks. If you're still hungry for more, order the reproduction of the historic 1954 Faber Company Snowshoe Catalog from Craid McDonald, R.R. #1 Dwight, Ontario, Canada POA 1HO. The catalog is an education in itself. The Snow Walkers Companion, by the Conovers, is the best modern treatment on tradition winter travel with snowshoes. Amazon.com will be happy to sell it to you. The methods it describes are post rendezvous period, but some things probably overlap the pre-1840 period of the fur trade. It's a gem. - -----Original Message----- From: John Kramer <kramer@kramerize.com> To: hist_text@lists.xmission.com <hist_text@lists.xmission.com> Date: Thursday, February 12, 1998 9:16 PM Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Snowshoes >At 09:58 PM 2/11/98 , tigrbo1 wrote: >>Todd and Debbi Wraga wrote: >>> >>> I came across this email and am wondering if you might be able to help >>> me out. A friend of mines daughter wants to make a pair of snowshoes, >>> however we are having a difficult time finding any patterns or >>> instructions. I was wondering if you might be able to forward on any >>> information. >>> >>> 802-362-0967 Fax >>> Debbi Wraga >>> RR 1 Box 2129 >>> Pawlet, VT 05761 >> >Todd & Debbi, > >The best instruction I've found for proper manufacture of snowshoes; the >old way; is in "The Boy Mechanic", Book 2 of 4, "1000 Things For Boys To >Do", pgs. 35 to 40 & 43 to 46. Copyright 1915 by H.H. Windsor, Popular >Mechanics Press, Chicago. > >Many interesting comments are included one warns: "No Indian maker would >be guilty of using screws of other metal fastenings, but many of the cheap >and poorly fashioned snowshoes are fastened at the heel with screws, thus >making this a decidedly weak point, since the wood is quite certain to >split after a little rough service." > >It suggests well seasoned ash as the preferred wood for frames with tightly >mortised and tenoned joints. It discusses using fine mesh shoes on powder >and open mesh on wet snow. Large shoes for cross country (like Alaskan >pattern), Style like Michigan pattern for all around use, Bearpaws for >woods travel, best on packed snow. It warns about too much lift (turn-up) >at the toe, and discusses narrow vs. wide toes. Full instruction for >cutting, bending and weaving are included. > >It also suggests that though Varnish makes the shoes a little more >waterproof; the additional slipping hazard on rocks and logs; makes it less >than an ideal treatment. It repeatedly refers to Indian made snowshoes as >superior to those made in factories. > >It offers instruction for both the early single knotted thong foot >attachment as well as for a leather binding. It notes snowshoes should not >be used with heavy leather boots as they will wear out and chafe the >filling. It recommends high-cut moccasins large enough to accommodate one >or two pairs of wool socks. > >I have encountered several copies over the years at used book dealers. >Book 2 is the best of the series and the most common I've encountered. I >used to have a spare copy, may have traded it off, I'll look through my >piles. Don't hold your breath. > >John... >Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without. >John Kramer >kramer@kramerize.com > > ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 22:11:57 -0800 From: "JON P TOWNS" <AMM944@prodigy.net> Subject: MtMan-List: Two booklets This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - ------=_NextPart_000_01BD3803.3BA57B40 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit A few years ago I wrote two booklets, one on Tanning Hides and Wild game recipes. They have about a dozen pages each. $3.50 each or $6.00 for two post paid. This is to raise money for operations of the AMM Library. Send Check to Jon Towns. Jon Towns Chief Librarian P.O. Box 143 Manchester WA 98353 - ------=_NextPart_000_01BD3803.3BA57B40 Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html><head></head><BODY bgcolor=3D"#FFFFFF">A few years ago I wrote two booklets, = one on Tanning Hides and Wild game recipes. They have about a = dozen pages each. $3.50 each or $6.00 for two post paid. = This is to raise money for operations of the AMM Library. = Send Check to Jon Towns. Jon Towns Chief = Librarian P.O. Box 143 Manchester WA 98353 </body></html> - ------=_NextPart_000_01BD3803.3BA57B40-- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 06:34:21 GMT From: rparker7@ix.netcom.com (Roy Parker) Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Re: Tipi On Tue, 10 Feb 1998 22:43:54 -0800, you wrote: >Roy I am glad you enjoyed my story, I have a lot of fun telling it over >the years. The only thing I regret is that I didn't get a picture of = it. =20 >I haven't seen my friend Jerry that I went with in 25 years but I bet He= is >telling the story and enjoying it like I have. Later Jon Towns =20 Well, I finally stopped wheezing and the keyboard dried out by itself. Next time post a warning. No drinking anything while reading the following lines, or something like that. Reminds me of the time a buddy and I tossed an 18 ft. Grumman canoe on top of his VW, put all our gear inside, and headed off to the Boundry Waters for a two week canoe trip. The word "crowded" was coined to describe the interior of that Bug. We'd put our foam bedding on the luggge rack to cushion the canoe, and about half way across Wisconsin got pulled over by a cop for 'impersonating a weiner'...kid you not! =20 Evidently the tan foam we had under the canoe was flopping up along the side the canoe when we drove past his speed trap, he got to laughing and he couldn't resist pulling us over to tell the story. =20 Scared the s**t out of us since we were both in our very early 20's and neither of us were buckskinners at the time, and so had no experience confronting the forces of The Law. For a few minutes there we really did think we were going to go to a Wisconsin jail for violating some obscure law. We did share a laugh with the cop when he finally let us go, but frankly, it took some several years before we really thought it was funny. Roy Parker, Booshway, 1998 SW Regional Rendezvous, rparker7@ix.netcom.com =46ull SW Rendezvous info available at http://www.sat.net/~robenhaus Buckskinner, Brewer, Blacksmith and other "B"'s, including "BS". ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 06:34:20 GMT From: rparker7@ix.netcom.com (Roy Parker) Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Re: Tipi On Wed, 11 Feb 1998 10:10:27 -0500 (EST), you wrote: >>I have a 18'tipi with 27' poles I used drive to all the events in my >Renault Alliance. the car suffered none from hauling this load and it = was >fun watching the police shuffling through their lawbooks trying to find = a >reason to stop me:) panther primitive as always been good to me and they >stand behind what they sell >Philip > I just love stopping for gas, lunch or whatever, and watching the locals eyeball all them poles and trying to come up with a reason why I'm carrying them. Most of them are too polite or shy to ask, but every once in a while, someone does, and I give them an honest answer. To all the others, I say nothing until just getting back in the truck, then I look at them real serious like, and say something like, "New fishing technique....Heard the bream (bluegills for you up North) are running, and I intend to catch me a passel of them." If you watch them in the rearview mirror, you can immediately see them glance back and forth, debate your sanity, and even wonder about what you know that they don't. I pulled this gag a couple of years ago in midday, went to lunch, then drove back to the same gas station to pick up something. When I returned I was swamped by a few locals trying to figure out my new fishing technique. Flatlanders is FUN! Roy Parker, Booshway, 1998 SW Regional Rendezvous, rparker7@ix.netcom.com =46ull SW Rendezvous info available at http://www.sat.net/~robenhaus Buckskinner, Brewer, Blacksmith and other "B"'s, including "BS". ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 06:34:11 GMT From: rparker7@ix.netcom.com (Roy Parker) Subject: MtMan-List: Flint, Steel and Char Cloth Several people have asked for this information recently. The following is a reprint of an article I posted in early October. The finished article was lost in a hard disk crash around Thanksgiving, and I have not recreated it. This is based on several years of experience, and an exchange on the Usenet group soc.history.living with several folks who also frequent this mailing list. Scott, see if you can find your own words in this! I'm sorry, but the article is NOT complete. If you've never made a flint and steel fire before, here's the gist of it. The following is a DRAFT copy. The actual article is only about half done. I=92m retaining the copyright for this article, since I hope to have it published for profit and make millions of dollars when Steven Spielberg turns this into a major movie.. The final article had all the contributors listed. I don't have them here, but pulled all the 1996-1997 exchanges off of Deja News by doing a search for "fire starting". When I rewrite this, full credit to all contributors will be given, especially for the info on charwood. The article needs a lot of wordsmithing. I have not done much except spell check it, so it is obviously not ready to go yet. =20 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------= - ---------------------------- There=92s a lot of ways to start fires. I=92m going to cover techniques I=92ve used off and on over the last 19 years. I=92ll also cover a few techniques that I do NOT have a lot of experience with, but other folks do I=92ll be straight with you when I report on something someone else recommends, but I=92ve only experimented with. If I don=92t like = the method, I=92ll tell you, but understand it may be because I don=92t have the technique down due to enough experimentation. Try it yourself. =20 We=92re going to cover charcloth making, striker selection, flint selection, proper tinder and then tie all this together into proper flint and steel firestarting. Char is usually made from cloth, but several people I corresponded with have used different natural materials. This will be covered later on. We=92ll also cover how to select and use a firebow, how to use your shootin=92 iron as a fire starter, char wood making and use, the burning lens (aka magnifying glass), and we=92ll end it with what I diplomatically call =93shortcut=94 (others may call it cheating) techniques some scum-sucking weasles use to get an edge on the competition, just so you have an idea of what to look out for. Charcloth Making =46orget all the stuff they told you in Boy Scouts about using dryer lint, picking up a rock and striking sparks, or rubbing two sticks together. It=92s hogwash. If you follow the recommendations in this article, make a batch or two of charcloth so you can see what is =93good=94 versus =93bad=94 select a flint as described, and have a good striker, you=92ll have flame in less than 15 seconds almost every time you try. My personal best at fire starting is 8.1 seconds, and that took third place.=20 Char is important because you need some material that will catch the sparks from your striker. You can have a marvelous striker and flint, and chuck sparks into dryer lint until the cows come home. And they come home about the time you have a spark catch in the dryer lint. =20 The reason you char cloth is to essentially turn it into pure carbon, kinda like a super charcoal briquette. You want a material that chars well, and has a lot of surface roughness to hold the spark from the striker until it can ignite the cloth. Dryer lint, et. al, has a much higher combustion temperature to keep a coal glowing than does char cloth. That=92s why it is so hard to start a fire this way. Good char cloth will grab a spark as soon as it hits. Start with 100 percent cotton or linen fabric. Make absolutely sure there are no synthetics. These will melt and burn and leave a fire-proof coating over what remains of the fabric. It also makes an awful mess of your char tin. Wool has its own fire retardant. Lore has it that you can=92t make char cloth out of wool, and I always believed it until I sat down to write these lines. I=92ve always accepted that wool won=92t work, but you know, I have never tired it. I will have to take a shot at it next time I make up a batch of char. I=92ve heard that using cloth with patterns makes inferior char cloth. In my experience, it doesn=92t seem to matter. New fabric such as left overs from shirt making need to be washed several times before you char them. Most material like this contains a something called a sizing, which is fine clay impregnated in the cloth to make it smoother and easier to cut for patterns. You can make char cloth from it, but the sizing leaves a bit more ash in the tin, and sometimes keeps a spark for catching as it seems to have to burn through the sizing first. Pure canvas from the sewing store works pretty good after being well washed. Flannel works well too if you make sure you do NOT get the flame-retardant kind. All of these things will work. To make char cloth you can=92t put out without water, you have to use a special type of cloth. Forget about blue jeans, cotton scraps, flannel, canvas, etc. The best stuff I have ever found for char cloth is called Monk's Cloth (available at almost any sewing center, at least here in Texas). It has 5-9 threads in the warp and the woof (?) (these are sewing terms I really don't understand, but it means the top layer weaves in and out of the bottom layer {going sideways of course} kinda like the plastic webbing you have on your aluminum framed lawn chairs, except this is all cotton, and is a lot thinner weave. Monks cloth looks a lot like a coarser weave of the gauze you=92d find in a first aid kit. For those of you who are wondering, I=92ve tried using gauze for char also. It crumbles too easily compared to the Monk=92s cloth for my taste, but catches a spark immediately. If I ever get access to a scanner, I=92ll upload a picture to the web. How do you make char cloth? Easy. Get some 100% linen or cotton, or if you=92ve been paying attention, get some Monk=92s cloth ( wash it once or twice first-a yard of this stuff will start hundreds of fires), cut it up into about inch and a half squares, no larger. When you have a decent handful of pieces, put them in your char tin. I fill my tin (one of the old, large shoe polish tins) so that the pile sticks out about three-eighths of an inch before putting the lid on. This compresses the cloth a little, but I=92ve never noticed a problem . If you really stuff the tin full, you=92ll find a lot of the material in the center is not properly charred. A little compression is ok, a lot is bad. A char tin is nothing more than a small metal can that has a tight fitting metal lid. A shoe polish tin or a pint paint can works great. The pint paint can doubles as a container when making char wood. We=92ll cover that later. Clean out all residue from the previous inhabitant of the can before your start. The real secret is to have a very tight fitting lid, and to close it down tight after you put in the cloth. Next, take a small nail, about a one inch finishing nail and poke a hole in the lid. =20 Now, find a small twig and sharpen it until it plugs the hole you just punched in the top as tight as can be. Set the twig aside, as you won=92t need it for a while. Now toss the can, lid up on the fire. I=92ve tried a bunch of different fires. Some work and some don=92t and = I don=92t know why. Campfires seem to make the best char cloth. Set it on the edge of the coals, and plan 2-5 minutes a side for cooking. Good charcoal fires work about the same. I=92ve tried this numerous times on my propane grill in the backyard, and on my coal forge, at both fast and slow heats, and never had any luck with making good char. My best guess is that even on =91slow=92 heat, it is still too = much for propane and coal. Okay, you have your char tin heating on the fire. More and more smoke is coming out the tiny hole you made (that=92s why you made it!). The smoke smells really nasty. Drop a burning twig across the hole to ignite the smoke if you or your neighbors have a sensitive nose. When the smoke trail is almost gone, flip the can over in the fire, wait 1-2 minutes, and flip it back over. If there is no more smoke pull the can out of the fire, and IMMEDIATELY stick the twig into the hole on the top. The twig is to prevent pulling air back into the can as it cools down. =20 This is why it is nice to make char toward nightfall. If the can starts glowing red, it tells you that you do NOT have an airtight seal, and that air is being sucked back into the char tin, setting the char on fire....that=92s why the can is a dull red in color...it=92s hot. If this happens, toss the charcloth out and start over. I once needed to make some char at rendezvous and had stepped on the lid, so couldn=92t get a good seal. Rather than go borrow another tin, I tried making up a thick mud of clay, smeared that around the rim, put on the lid, added a bit more clay to the seam and tossed it in the fire. It worked like a charm. If the char is brown, or even has white spots, it was not on the fire long enough. Put it back in the can and cook it some more. You should see more smoke coming out the hole as you finish charring the cloth. If the char is brittle, it has been overcooked or still had the sizing left in the cloth. Leftover sizing often also leaves a shiny residue in the can. If it is brittle, throw it away and start over. Good char should be bend double without any cracking or crazing while being uniformly black in color. You should be able to bend it in half with no problems. If it can=92t do that, it is overcooked and makes inferior charcloth. Yep, it will still start fires, just not nearly as quickly. Assuming none of these bad things happened, congratulations! You=92ve made your first char cloth! Now what? Selecting a Flint A lot of people think this is a no-brainer, but it is important. There are two things you want in a flint. The first is sharpness, and the second is hardness. A truly sharp flint is like a piece of broken glass. It is one molecule thick on the edge. No steel knife of any type can even begin to approach that sort of sharpness. Learn how to knap a flint for maximum sharpness. It makes a big difference in how strong a string of sparks you can toss from the steel. Some of the best flints I=92ve ever had have been flakes and spalls left around after someone demonstrated arrowhead making. They=92re small and exceedingly sharp. Rule of thumb is that the darker the piece of flint, the harder it is. And the harder the piece of flint, the lower it dulls. But I=92ve seen some awfully light colored flints throw some very impressive sparks. So I give sharpness the nod over the hardness of the flint. If you can find it, get a chunk of red jasper. Some parts of the country it is easy to come by, and others quite difficult. Here in Houston, where we=92re 100 miles or more from the nearest rock at ground level, I cruise gravel parking lots. Much of the gravel we get is flint, and there always seems to be a piece or two of red jasper. Red jasper is 2-3 times as hard as flint, and if sharp will really throw some truly awesome sparks that can still sizzle when they hit the ground.=20 Selecting a Striker There are two types of strikers. Good ones and bad ones. Initially, it can be hard to tell the difference. The best place to get a GOOD striker is at rendezvous from the smith who made it. If you buy it from someone other than the blacksmith who made it, test it out for 10-15 minutes. Rule of thumb is that you should be able to hold the striker at waist level, strike it with the flint, and have sparks burning at the top of your moccasins. When you find a striker that does this, keep striking for about 15 minutes. Some of the strikers available have only a case hardening. Those sparks you see are little bits of burning metal cut off by the flint (see why we want a sharp flint?) and ignited by the friction of the flint hitting the striker.. If you only have a case hardness on the steel the metal is hard for only 2-3 thousands of an inch, and after 10 or so minutes of striking, suddenly quit giving off a spark. You=92ve used up the hardness, and the striker is worthless. You=92ll pay a few bucks more getting a striker from the original smith, but you=92ll also get a lifetime guarantee, most likely. Make sure the striking face is smooth. If it is made from a file, make sure that there are no file marks left on the face of the striker, or near the edges where a flint can hit. Catching one of these defects can snap the striker in half, as it forces it to break along a fault line. Tinder Tinder is made out of dead plants, the finer the better. There=92s a lot of good material out there. Dead grasses rolled through the hands until they become fibers, tow used in taxidermy (the leftovers from the flax plant when the linen is removed), hay, pine needles, cedar bark ground up finely by hand and allowed to dry. You want to keep it fine, but not turn it into a powder. Tinder is the stuff that will take the glowing coal from you char cloth and suddenly burst into flame for building your fire. Get the deadest, driest stuff you can find, dry it some more, and then keep it dry! Making a Fire by Flint and Steel Okay, you now have good charcloth, a good flint, a good steel and some tinder. How do we go about turning this into a conflagration? No problem. First of all, you=92re going to split up some kindling. Then you=92re going to follow the three (3) steps below EXACTLY AS WRITTEN. Once you get these three steps down pay, you can start experimenting to improve your speed. The tender you have will burn for only a few seconds, so you have to get some larger stuff burning during that time. Start by getting some dry wood split into pieces about the size of match sticks, and gradually progressing until you are adding pieces about a half to inch in diameter. At that point there is no way the fire is going out unless the heavens open up. We=92re not going to get into types of fires. I like a tipi style, other like some of the many others. Use what works for you. 1. Strike the spark. If you=92re right-handed, hold the steel in your left hand. Hold the flint/jasper level in your right with 2-3 pieces of char on top of the rock. The sharp edge of the flint must point to yor right.Use your thumb to keep the char from slipping off and position it so that the char is even with the striking edge of the flint. Use the steel to whack the flint in a rather gentle motion. You=92re trying to shave off tiny pieces of burning metal with the flint, not bash down a building. If you have to hit it hard to get a spark, you=92ve got either a lousy striker or a dull flint. Band-Aids may be called for until you get a feel for the proper technique. Keep it up until you get a spark to catch on the char. If you have good equipment and Monk=92s cloth, only one or two whacks will be needed. You can see a small orange glow in the char where the spark has lodged. This glow may only be obvious in the dark unless you shade the cloth. If you can=92t see it and burn your thumb, it=92s lit.. 2. Blow it into flame Blow on it gently to sprea This can cause a massive blowing fit, d the fire and at the same time grab a handful of the tinder you=92ve already made up into a bird=92s nest about the size of a baseball. Tuck the glowing char down into the center of the birdsnest, pinch the birdsnest closed using your thumb and forefinger to compress it around the char cloth, raise it above your head slightly with your back to the wind, and gently blow on it. If your lungs empty, and no flames are in sight, turn your head to 90 degrees, grab a breath of fresh air, and resume blowing. You keep the nest above your head, plus turn it 90 degrees to keep from sucking the unlit smoke back in your lungs, which is detrimental to your Mt. Man image. 3. Starting the Fire When the flames suddenly erupt, drop the birdsnest into your firepit, add the kindling, and gently nurse the blaze into a full conflagration by adding slightly larger pieces of wood to the fire. Make up a pot of coffee, and invite the booshway over. He may not be impressed with your first-ever flint and steel fire, but he always appreciates a pot of coffee. =46irebows I=92ll be the first to admit this is not one of my areas of great expertise. But I have used a couple of systems, and have started a hundred or so fires this way, mainly for the benefit of the public. Roy Parker, Booshway, 1998 SW Regional Rendezvous, rparker7@ix.netcom.com =46ull SW Rendezvous info available at http://www.sat.net/~robenhaus Buckskinner, Brewer, Blacksmith and other "B"'s, including "BS". ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 06:34:29 GMT From: rparker7@ix.netcom.com (Roy Parker) Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Char Cloth On Thu, 12 Feb 1998 08:02:49 -0800, you wrote: >Hello the List, > >There have been several messages concerning the best material for char >cloth. It's important to note that all natural fiber fabric >manufacturered in the U.S. is treated with a fire retardant by law. This >fire retardant also makes your char harder to light. My favorite is raw >cotton right off the plant, seeds and all. It will catch the smallest >spark and burn better and hotter than any material I have ever seen. NO >ONE who has used it has ever gone back to what they used before. > Unless the law has been changed in the last year, the above is incorrect, at least on a federal level. Some states may have more restrictive requirements, but Texas is not one of them. Flame retardant is required only for pajamas and flannel intended for childrens use. It is also available for some pajamas for adult use. You can buy untreated flannel at any fabric store. Not all of it is untreated, and you have to ask for it, but you can easily get it. Last time I bought any was a year or so ago. If the laws have changed I'm unaware of it. Roy Parker, Booshway, 1998 SW Regional Rendezvous, rparker7@ix.netcom.com =46ull SW Rendezvous info available at http://www.sat.net/~robenhaus Buckskinner, Brewer, Blacksmith and other "B"'s, including "BS". ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 06:34:18 GMT From: rparker7@ix.netcom.com (Roy Parker) Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Re: Tipi On Tue, 10 Feb 1998 11:00:13 -0500, you wrote: >I am not bad mouthing Panther by any stretch. They have a wonderful=20 >catalog. However -- I tried on two different occasions to order lodges = from=20 >them. Very basic off the shelf pieces. I was told a minimum of 16 WEEKS=20 >before they could ship the first time, and a minimum of 12 WEEKS the = second=20 >time I tried to order from them. I then went to RK Lodges. I personally=20 >have 3 of them. They have excellent workmanship and prices. I haven't = had=20 >to wait more than 7 or 10 DAYS to have the tent in my hands. They are = the=20 >first people I try and deal with. Kat, good point. I've ordered from Panther several times, and never had this kind of delivery problem. But I live in Houston, and they're in West Virginia. When I need stuff, it is toward the end of the rendezvous period up north, and the beginning of the rendezvous period here in the south. =20 Mebbe they have slack time then, and that's why I've not had lengthy delays in getting what I ordered. A couple weeks max is what I remember waiting for a wall tent, diamond, hunter's lodge, and an 18 foot tipi. It might have been longer than that, but I'm sure my memory would flag a 3-4 month delay. Maybe I just ordered at the right time of the year. Glad you mentioned RK. I didn't include them in my original post about suppliers. I've never owned an RK anything, but have two good friends who each have their tipis. Another quality outfit to order from, from what I've seen. One of these tipis is now into its 6th or 7th season, and still going strong. IMO, the caddilac of tipis is the Spring Valley. A buddy of mine (the one who uses temporary roof racks on his van in the original post) bought his in the fall of 1987 after the SW in Johnson City. The lodge is still going strong, almost as good as new, although the poles are just about shot. You pay a premium for one of their lodges, but it may well be worth it. Bottom line of all this is that there are quite a few very reputable suppliers out there making very good products. Some of the smaller dealers (C&S for example) make excellent products also, but are not as well known. Shoddy craftsmanship and materials quickly puts folks out of business, so you can expect decent construction and life out of any of the established suppliers. Roy Parker, Booshway, 1998 SW Regional Rendezvous, rparker7@ix.netcom.com =46ull SW Rendezvous info available at http://www.sat.net/~robenhaus Buckskinner, Brewer, Blacksmith and other "B"'s, including "BS". ------------------------------ End of hist_text-digest V1 #19 ****************************** - To unsubscribe to hist_text-digest, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe hist_text-digest" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message.